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Home , Accent on Africa, Billy James (drummer), Bob Bushnell, Come Hither, Don Patterson (organist), Eddie Harris

The Varitone : and

By Mike Benson

I: What is the Varitone?

The Selmer Company of Elkhart, Indiana, famous for their finely crafted , once had secret. They went to great lengths to hide the research and development on a new instrument until they had it just right. On July 10, 1966 Selmer unveiled their secret at National Association of Music Merchantsʼ convention in Chicago

(Gardner). They believed they had created what would be the next big movement in music, both live and recorded: the electric saxophone which they named the Selmer

Varitone. Selmer quickly won the hearts of many from their demonstrations at the

Merchantsʼ convention including Sonny Stitt (Stitt, Whatʼs New!!! Liner notes) and Eddie

Harris (both musiciansʼ use of the Varitone will be analyzed herein). What garnered their and othersʼ interest so easily?

More new sounds, more colors, more options, and more volume.

The Varitone was, at its core, an amplification system for the standard alto and tenor saxophones (later developed for other woodwinds as well). Selmer advertised that the Varitone, “Lets you cut through an electronic organ, a whole bedlam of amplified guitars. Puts your distinctive Selmer sound in charge of any combo...” (Downbeat advertisement) A ceramic microphone was inserted into the neck of the saxophone with its cable heading to a specialized speaker cabinet through a hole drilled in the mouthpiece (!). This microphone placement was beneficial because it produced a higher

fidelity sound as a direct amplification source, as opposed to an indirect like a PA microphone. Selmer chose a ceramic mic to withstand the large sound pressure the saxophone creates.

Sonny Stitt approved of this design: “I donʼt have to worry anymore about scratchy mikes... this instrument opens up a whole new world. The ordinary saxophone to me is now old fashioned.” (McNamara)

Coming with the microphone was a somewhat small1 control box/pre-amp that could strap on to the low B-Bb key cage of a tenor sax and came with a neck strap for the control box so it could be worn instead. The control box contains seven switches, one of which being the volume control. The other six switches and knobs became the main selling point.

The mail-in brochure states, “The Varitone is not just an amplifier. Its circuits are a kind of tone prism that breaks the saxophone tone into its component parts. The player can then combine these component sounds in new ways...” The Varitone could act as a very simple equalizer, making the player “their own recording engineer.” The black horizontal switches are labeled normal, bright, and dark. Normal would simply amplify the saxophoneʼs natural sound, bright would reinforce the higher overtones of the sound, and dark would lessen those higher overtones. Hence the name Varitone, meaning having a variable tone. The last horizontal switch was for the electronic tremolo. The tremolo feature had adjustable rate and depth but it was controlled on the specialized speaker cabinet and not on the control box. The three silver knobs, from top

1Technology started to shrink when the transistor was invented in 1947, although it wasnʼt commercially available until around 1960. These smaller and more efficient transistor shrunk the size of radios and TVs and quickly were incorporated into music. Robert Moog patented his famous analog synthesizer in 1964, around the same time the Varitone was in development. Previous to the transistor, vacuum tubes were used which took up significantly more space and were less efficient. to bottom, were volume, echo, and sub-octave, all of which were adjustable. The echo is just that, looping the sound at controllable intervals. This was rarely used in recordings and was quickly out done by new echo and looping technology. The sub- octave, or ʻoctamaticʼ as it was labeled, was the biggest innovation and was certainly the most used in recordings. The octamatic produced a sub-octave (one octave) sound against the natural saxophone tone, similar to an early Moog synth sound. It allowed the alto to play in baritone range and the tenor in bass sax range. The mix of the sub-octave and the natural saxophone sounds could be adjusted to bring out one or the other, even to the point of eliminating the acoustic saxophone entirely. When playing with the octamatic, “the sound is similar to that of string bass combined with saxophone–on complex passages a starling effect. With only the lower note sounding, the tenor saxophone timbre is like that of a bass played arco, and the alto takes on the character of a baritone saxophone.” (Gardner) The combination of these seven effects added up to the advertised 60 sounds.

When trying to introduce and sell something new, price point is a major issue.

The advertised 1967 prices are as follows (with 2015 inflation equivalents in parentheses):

- Selmer Paris Mk VI w/Varitone set up for Alto: $1,220 ($8,573) Tenor: $1,295

($9,100)

- Club Model (came with a smaller speaker cabinet, no tremolo control or echo):

Alto: $1,020 ($7,168) Tenor: $1,095 ($7,695) - Complete Varitone attachment outfit (came with a new neck with pick-up,

control box, and amplifier): $730 ($5,130)

- Club Model attachment outfit (came with a smaller speaker cabinet, no tremolo

control or echo): $530 ($3,724) (Selmer advertisement, Billboard).

Also to be noted is the additional cost of a mouthpiece for the Varitone set-up whereas the mouthpiece must be drilled to fit the microphone.

Todayʼs Selmers are selling for around the same price with inflation adjustment. A

Reference 54 goes for $7,820 and a Series III goes for around $8,100.

The only intact Varitone I could find for sale in 2015 was going for $17,000 from a

NYC shop (Robertoʼs Winds). Pieces/parts of the control box/microphone have gone for

$400-600 online (generally needing serious repairs).

After the Varitoneʼs 1966 debut, it quickly gained popularity among musicians and critics alike. Several other brands created their own versions of the Varitone in the following years. The Conn Multi-vider, the King Vox, and the Hammond Condor quickly went to market with similar features at similar prices. Besides Eddie Harris and Sonny

Stitt, who adapted the new technology immediately and made the biggest market for

Varitone recordings, many other artists experimented with the new device. Illinois

Jacquet recorded on Varitone with Sonny Stitt; attempted to rebrand himself (much like Stitt) after a ten year recording hiatus; made a single recording on Accent on Africa with the new toy; was famously photographed experimenting with the new sounds that could be produced, but never recorded on Varitone; made many soul /funky in the late 60s featuring electric sax work that have been heavily sampled by hip-hop artists of our day;

King Curtis cut a track on Dr. Lonnie Smithʼs debut Finger Lickinʼ Good; and

Clark Terry made an album with a Varitone adapted for . (See Discography) The recordings listed here and dozens of others were recorded between 1966 and 1970.

The Varitone did cause a buzz within the press, amongst musicians, and with the listening consumers, buts itʼs popularity was short lived.

II: Reception by Musicians and the Press:

Sonny Stitt was one of the first to hear the new sound of the electric sax at the

July 1966 Chicago trade show and immediately saw the possibilities it presented. Only two days after the trade show, Stitt had his own Varitone set up for both alto and tenor and was eager to share his new sound with the world. In October of 1966, Stitt only had wonderful things to say about this new toy:

“Itʼs (the Varitone) a revelation. It enables you to probe and find. I notice when I put the octave on I can get another kind of groove altogether. Of course, you donʼt change it every five seconds. You might play 16 bars here, and in the middle of the ballad where youʼve been playing with a tenor sound, you decide you want a guitar sound, so you push the button and there it is. It sounds so pretty...This instrument is great for the whole saxophone family. I would say itʼs the best thing that ever happened to the saxophone.” (Gardner)

High praise from Mr. Stitt. Stitt recorded his first Varitone album, Whatʼs New!!! Sonny Stitt on the Varitone

(notice the three exclamation points, not a question mark), on July 28 and 30 in 1966, less than three weeks after Sonnyʼs introduction to the new technology. Stitt seemed eager to claim the Varitone as his own as soon as possible. With Whatʼs New!!! he became the first to record on Varitone.

Perhaps enthralling Stitt more was the commercial success of his new sound.

The follow up album to Whatʼs New!!! noted the success of his first electric album:

“Once in a while, a fresh new wind blows across the jazz landscape with an excitement that is as fantastic as it is rare. The response to Sonny Stittʼs first varitone sax album has been nothing short of phenomenal. Down Beat magazine devoted a special issue to ʻThe Electrified Sonny Stitt,ʼ the album hit the best selling chart, and jazz fans all across the country wrote in to say ʻI Keep Cominʼ Backʼ to that sound!” (Stitt, I Keep Cominʼ Back liner notes).

“...Everybody wants to make more money,” Stitt stated his Down Beat interview.

“And with this new saxophone, I think this is the right improvement for me. This is a boon. Right now, all I can say is Iʼm treated pretty good. I manage to pay most of my bills. I work quite a bit, and I like all of the business...”

I do not believe his new improvement was necessarily his new tone.

Stittʼs working trio during his Varitone years consisted of on organ and on Drums. They were very successful touring with the electric sax in addition to their favorable record sales.

“The Stitt Trio is, in fact, so popular these days that it is booked well into the new year. Obviously the appeal of the Varitone has helped.” (McNamara)

Reviews of his many “-on the Varitone” LPs were generally positive, with some recordings of far less quality. Parallel-a-Stitt, his third Varitone album from ʼ67, received four stars from Downbeat although , the reviewer, didnʼt seem too impressed with the electronics themselves.

“I was told recently, by someone whoʼd heard him in person, that Stitt is now doing different things with the Varitone attachment on his saxophones and really has it mastered. But on this recording the device adds nothing but another parallel octave to his fleet alto and tenor flights...the only cut where the Varitone is absent, the tenor sound is really gorgeous. The only place the Varitone actually hinders him is on Smile, where if muffles the sounds in a ʻstrainerʼ effect that becomes a strain on the ear.”

On Soul Electricity, another four star album from ʼ68, reviewer Pekar was “not crazy about his use of the Varitone as it adds a muddy quality to his sound.” (DB review)

The liner notes on this same album note that “because of the use of the Varitone, (it is difficult) to distinguish between Sonnyʼs alto and tenor sounds...” (I can attest to this because I erroneously transcribed the Varitone chorus of Bye Bye Blackbird on tenor in

Bb when itʼs really on alto in Eb).

On his Solid State recordings, Stitt found unfavorable reviews on and Little Green Apples. The muddiness the Varitone was further impacted by the addition of two French Horns playing on pop tunes and W.C Handy . These two albums received poor ratings of one and a half stars or less.

“The Schwann catalog lists 41 available Stitt LPs. I havenʼt heard them all, but I would guess that at least 40 would be better than (Little Green Apples).”(DB review) His Prestige and Roulette recordings did better where he played standards with the occasional activation of the electric sax alongside his working trio. His last Varitone album was Black Vibrations in 1971.

Eddie Harris, our second electric saxophonist of note, was also finding commercial success with a modified sound. Harris had previously had great success in

1962 with his version of “Exodus,” a movie theme he put in a jazz context. This became a hit and was the first jazz record to be a million seller. In following albums he continued the movie-soundtrack-becomes-jazz formula, but never recreated a hit like

Exodus to Jazz. He certainly was no stranger to commercial and financial success prior to his adaptation of the electric saxophone. After his first hit and subsequent albums from 1962-66, Harris became more free in his musical experimentation and innovation.

He adapted the Varitone and recorded with it on the same year of its arrival. Down Beat magazine awarded this album three and a half stars out of five. From the review: “On five of the six selections he plays the Varitone saxophone... It is capable of some striking effects, particularly an octave-unison one that gives the impression of the platerʼs executing a true note-for-note duet with himself. Quite eerie, to be sure, and maybe even a gimmick, but Harris employs the device to excellent, totally musical effect here... Harris does not let the device dominate him or obscure his own strong personality...it does not seem a gimmick in his hand, but rather a useful tool through which the artist has been enabled to enrich and deepen his art.” (The Tender Storm

Down Beat review) The following year, Harris released The Electrifying Eddie Harris, which featured more Varitone sounds and another Harris hit, Listen Here (which we will look into more in depth later on). Downbeat gave four stars for this effort only briefly mentioning the

Varitoneʼs use and focused on the actual music on the record.

“Over the years, Harris has developed a uniquely homey style of writing and playing that has great ear appeal, mainly because of its honest and simplicity.” (Johnson)

This was another best selling album and Listen Here, a very simple 8-bar tune with thematic soloing, became standard repertoire. Downbeat noted that Harris had

“been clever and/or lucky enough to have attained some commercial success.” (Silver

Cycles Down Beat review) Harris was both clever and lucky.

He was clever because of his simple, homey style that was easily understood and appreciated by a wider audience. Lucky because the generally public was becoming infatuated with developments in electronic music and electronic instruments.

As technology became move advanced and, more importantly, smaller, electronic instruments became a viable option for musicians. The Fender Rhodes keyboard and its amplified tines saw their first gig in 1965. Electric guitars were more popular than ever.

The famous Moog analog synthesizer was created in 1964. In 1968, Wendy Carlos created a very unlikely hit using the Moog. Switched-on Bach was a record of famous

J.S. Bach works painstakingly recorded on a 8-track recorder, one voice at a time, on a

Moog. This classical record sold over 500,000 copies. It made its way to the top 10 of the Billboard pop charts and stayed in the top 40 for 17 weeks. (Whitburn) These kind of sales for a classical record were unprecedented (in todayʼs world, unthinkable). Follow- up albums like The Well-Tempered Synthesizer and copycat records quickly flooded the market by popular demand. Into the 70s, electronic sounds had become commonplace in recordings. had created his electric band and cut in 1969 and bands incorporated electric sounds extensively, selling more albums than their straight ahead playing brethren. Unfortunately, commonplace is not a good description of something that is advertised as new and exciting.

The public, jazz critics and press, and musicians had a quick falling out with the

Varitone. The time frame of the Varitoneʼs popularity was from 1966-70. 1966 saw the introduction of the instrument and subsequent excitement; ʻ67-ʼ68 marked itʼs rise in popularity and use; and ʼ69-ʼ70, with electronic instruments becoming a standard, the electric sax was pushed back in the worldʼs consciousness to be quickly forgotten. What issues faced this new technologies fall from popularity?

III: Varitone in Vogue: Issues Facing its Demise

“Electronic and amplified instruments are here, but will they stay?” Jazz pedagog

Father George Wiskirchen asked in the October 3 1968 issue of Downbeat. “I think that their future will depend on their acceptance by the professional and by the music educator and ultimately on their validity as vehicle for musical expression.”

It has already been noted that many professionals took advantage of electronic instruments, but what of music educators? Wiskirchen states what seems obvious: price point. The least expensive set up a student could obtain was $530 ($3,724 for today).

Setting up a high school jazz band with Varitones, although being incredibly convenient in big bands for balancing against brass or just being heard in heavier charts, would be a fortune no school would be willing to pay. Lastly, could the Varitone be a viable vehicle for musical expression?

The short answer: yes. In the hands of a professional, musical expression occurs. Eddie Harris makes a great case for the electric saxophoneʼs ability for expression on Movinʼ on Out on his 1968 live album High Voltage. An intensity and texture is built by clever use of delay effects (from an Echoplex tape delay) mixed with the Varitoneʼs signature octamatic tone that would certainly be impossible from an acoustic instrument. Wiskirchen concurs: “What makes (electronic instruments) valid is the fact that they are a means of musical expression that cannot be duplicated by the natural instrument.”

Unfortunately, yes is not the whole answer.

“I feel that an electronically produced or altered sound is as valid a sound as one produced by the ʻnaturalʼ instrument. The problem is that it must be accepted as a different sound and not constantly compared with the sound of the unamplified instrument. It must be judged on its own merits as a sound, and not by how close it approximates the natural tone quality...” (Wiskirchen)

Consider the keyboard synthesizer. When listening to electronically produced, keyboard operated synth sounds, one rarely is comparing these sounds to a Steinway . Switched-on Bach could not have had such success if everyone was comparing the new synth sounds to a string orchestra or piano. The synthesizer and acoustic piano are not in the same league in the sound spectrum. People recognize this and therefore do not judge them against each other. Whereas with the Varitone, it was certainly not judged on its own merits but compared to the natural saxophone sound. Some even questioned if those who used the Varitone where doing so to cover up a lack of skill or sound (Gardner). The comparison is hard to not make when almost all recordings including Varitone only have it turned on part-time giving the listener a taste of both sounds in every track.

Many people are purists and want to hear the dark, warm sound of the tenor over electronically produced sine waves, even when they are being created, in part, by a tenor sax. When comparing the Varitoneʼs sound to the great tenor men of the day, it is hardly comparable. A playerʼs sound is one of their greatest assets in relation to musical expression. Dexterʼs huge and unrelenting tone; Coltraneʼs clarity; Rollinsʼ edge and roughness, Getzʼ style: all of these sounds are easily recognizable, highly individual and, most importantly, a basis for musical expression. Playing on the Varitone could impede this critical area of expression. Recall from Parallel-a-Stitt the difficulty in differentiating Stittʼs alto and tenor sounds. And Ira Gitler notes than on the tune

Because from the same album, “is the only cut where the Varitone is absent, and the tenor sound is really gorgeous.” Also to consider is the critical acclaim his non-Varitone recordings from the early 70s received immediately following his slew of electronic albums.

After Black Vibrations, which was recorded in July 1971, Stitt formed a new acoustic quartet with on piano, on Bass, and on drums (who would be replaced by several drummers on several recording dates including , and ). His new rhythm section was designed to maximize Sonnyʼs forte: hard-swinging, completely acoustic, expertly executed . Both Tune-up! and Constellation, both from 1972, are five star albums

(Yanow) and contain some serious burning on many standards and blues with Stitt playing both alto and tenor. These are great bebop albums. So why the better reviews?

Perhaps having his natural tone (which was very clean) made the difference. Or perhaps because the Varitone was no longer the new kid on the block making the scene.

As it has always been, technology becomes outdated very quickly (imagine how many new iPhone models there will be by 2030). This is certainly the case with the

Varitone. Already by late 1968 new electronic toys were available for an artists sound altering pleasure. Eddie Harris recorded the live High Voltage in ʼ68 using the Echoplex, a tape delay effect that had shrunk in its new solid state form. This delay effect is considered one of the best of its kind, even today. (Dregni) The Varitoneʼs simple echo could not compete. Octavers like the Conn Multi-vider took the Varitoneʼs signature octave duplication technique and enhanced it to include many more octaves. EQ boxes could give much more control in frequency modulation than the simple “bright” and

“dark” switches. These effects are generally not associated with the saxophone but the electric guitar. Those who wished to obtain these electronically altered sounds on a saxophone found it more convenient to play through a standard microphone into guitar pedals. (Michael and Randy Brecker did a lot with this in the 70s and 80s. Check out their album Heavy Metal Bebop for a heavy dose of electronics). This allowed for more control and more options. This also freed up the saxophone itself from any cables, having a separate neck, and having a mouthpiece with a hole drilled into it. Giving up the Varitone because it quickly became outdated is most likely the reason Eddie Harris, the champion of the electric sax, gave it up around 1973. Harris continued to experiment with his music, but the Varitone was replaced by a myriad of other gadgets as better technology emerged.

Lastly, from an average consumerʼs standpoint, the Varitone had little staying power. The price point made it a costly investment; the amount of gear the average saxophonist would have to carry would at least double; drilling a hole into your mouthpiece could make some people uncomfortable; and newer, better technologies for electronic music making were being produced consistently.

IV: Harrisʼ Style on Varitone:

Eddie Harris did create a new personal style as he adapted the Varitone in his playing. This style is best exemplified by his hit Listen Here and by solo sax intro on

Funkorama. This style incorporates two main features: blues-based R&B language and accompanimental bass notes. Tenor man Bob Mintzer wrote a piece in this style and noted that, “It involves playing typical and blues licks combined with bass notes and implied chord changes to create the sensation of the whole rhythm section playing with the soloist. One of the first people I heard doing this was Eddie Harris...Eddie is an unsung hero to me!” (Mintzer)

Listen Here (LP Version) is a very simple 8-bar tune over a two chord vamp

(above). Eddie uses the first three notes of the melody as his accompanimental bass notes throughout his solo (C-Bb-C). Here are 16-bars where he plays this bass figure every other measure (1:45-2:10):

At a glance, it looks like Eddie is playing very wide, spaced out voicings like an arpeggio in a consistent stream of eighth notes (especially measures 50-51 and 54-55).

But upon listening, one does not hear arpeggios. A simple re-beaming of the excerpt is helpful. Now we can easily distinguish the bass note accompaniment and the funky blues licks visually. Imagine removing the C-Bb-C bass notes. A solid R&B solo remains.

Several things help the ear recognize the bass note pattern from the improvised melodies. First is the choice of range on the saxophone. Low Bb is the lowest note on the horn and you can hear Eddie really honking it out (notice the clam going into measure 55; Eddie was better know for his excellent high range). Second is dynamic contrast. The bass notes are much higher than the soft spoken lines. The powerful low end reminds one of a baritone sax part from a R&B/Soul band a la Tower of Power.

Lastly is the use of the Varitoneʼs octamatic. The sub octave puts the saxophoneʼs bass notes down into the basement. The tenorʼs low Bb is now the equivalent of an Ab on the

4th ledger line below the bass clef. This puts him into range, making the contrast clear. Our second example is the solo sax intro from Funkorama from his 1974 record

Is it In. This one fits Mintzerʼs explanation of creating “the sensation (that) the whole rhythm section playing with the soloist.” Harris is successful in achieving a groove with zero aid from the rhythm section. I immediately imagine hand claps on two and four. His use of pick-up notes to leave space before the bass figure (F-D#-E) is clever. Note that as the bass proper enters, Eddie no longer plays the bass figure (see full transcription in appendix c). V: Stittʼs Style on Varitone:

Itʼs no secret that Sonny Stitt was a bebop man through and through. He was often compared to for his excellent bebop playing. Stitt could carve through changes like butter. That is what he did for his entire career. Unlike other saxophonist who change their style or experiment with new material (like Eddie Harris did), Stitt stayed in the classic bebop camp throughout his life. The lines he played from the 50s are not noticeably different from those of the 70s. His technique improved, of course, but his language was unchanged. This unchanging style also encompasses his

Varitone era of the late 60s. The two transcriptions included (in appendix C) are a chorus of Bye-Bye Blackbird from 1967s Parallel-a-Stitt (with Varitone) and two choruses of Out of Nowhere from 1982ʼs The Last Sessions, vols. 1 & 2, recorded only weeks before his death. Both contain good bop based voice leading, patternistic playing, and wise use of chromaticism. Out of Nowhere does contain more technical playing, but the language is similar. In short, the Varitone did little to change Sonnyʼs personal style. The most one could say is that the Varitone influenced the instrumentation of his band to better fit his new sound i.e. organ replacing bass and piano. VI: Legacy and Conclusion

The Varitone was a fun side note in the history of the saxophone and its players.

While offering new opportunities for artistsʼ creativity, it was doomed by inevitable technologic improvement. The legacy it left behind is still felt, albeit in small ways.

Current players like Joshua Redman and Seamus Blake still put their horns through electronics, often gravitating towards the classic ʻoctamaticʼ effect (now from a DigiTech

Whammy pedal) and guitar wah, just as Harris and Stitt did decades before. (see

Discography) And players like Bob Mintzer have learned from the music made and inspired from the electric saxophone. As electronics continue to break new ground, musicians will find ways to explore, experiment, and excite with new sound. There are endless possibilities when it comes to electronics in music. Possibilities that began with a simple product from the electric 60s: the Selmer Varitone. Appendix a) Bibliography b) Discography c) Transcriptions

A) Bibliography

Down Beat. “The Tender Storm Record Review.” Down Beat 13 July 1967: 31. Print.

Douglass, Frederick I. “Eddie Harris Plays It Straight.” The Baltimore Sun 3 May 1979. Print.

Dregni, Michael. "Echoplex EP-2". Vintage Guitar July 2012: 54–56. Print.

Gardner, Barbara. “The Electrified Sonny Stitt.” Down Beat 6 Oct 1966: 16-17. Print.

George Wiskirchen, C.S.C. “Electronics in the Big Band.” Down Beat 3 Oct 1968: 34-35. Print.

Gitler, Ira. “Parallel-a-Stitt Record Review.” Down Beat 1967. Print.

Harris, Eddie, , , Billy Higgins, and . The Tender Storm. Atlantic, 1967. Liner Notes.

Harris, Eddie. The Electrifying Eddie Harris. Atlantic, 1967. Liner Notes.

Harris, Eddie, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Billy Higgins, and Bobby Thomas. The Tender Storm. Atlantic, 1967. Liner Notes.

Johnson. “The Electrifying Eddie Harris Record Review.” Down Beat 1968. Print.

McNamara, Helen. “Sonnyʼs Got the Electric Sound.” The Telegram (Toronto, Canada) 28 Sept 1967. Print.

Mintzer, Bob. 14 Jazz & Funk Etudes. Brooklyn, NY: Alfred Publishing Co. 1994. Print.

Pekar. “Soul Electricity Record Review.” Down Beat 1968: 24-25. Print.

Selmer Varitone. Advertisement. Billboard 18 February 1967: 47. Print. Selmer Varitone. Advertisement. Down Beat: n. pag. Print. There are dozens of advertisements in many jazz based magazines between 1966-68.

The Selmer Varitone: The Story Behind Sonny Stitt's New Instrument. Elkhart, IN: Selmer, 1966. Print. A four-page informational pamphlet on the Varitone.

"Selmer Mark VI Tenor Saxophone Varitone." Roberto's Winds. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2015. .

"Selmer Paris Series III Model 64 Jubilee Edition Tenor Saxophone." Selmer Paris Series III Model 64 Jubilee Edition Tenor Saxophone. Music and Arts, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

Stitt, Sonny, Don Patterson, Bill Butler, and Billy James. Soul Electricity. Prestige, 1968. Liner Notes.

Stitt, Sonny. I Keep Comin' Back: Sonny Stitt on the Varitone. Roulette, 1966. Liner Notes.

Stitt, Sonny. Parallel-A-Stitt Sonny Stitt On The Varitone. Roulette, 1967. Liner Notes.

Stitt, Sonny. What's New!!! Sonny Stitt Plays The Varitone. Roulette, 1968. Liner Notes.

Whitburn, Joel. Top 40 Albums. New York: Billboard Books.

Yanow, Scott. "Tune-Up! - Sonny Stitt." AllMusic. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2015.

B) Discography

Adderley, Cannonball. Accent on Africa. Capitol, 1970. CD.

The Brecker Brothers. Heavy Metal Bebop. Arista Records, 1978. CD.

Bryant, Rusty, , , , and Herb Lovelle. Rusty Bryant Returns. Prestige, 1988. CD.

Donaldson, Lou, , , , and Lee Morris. Say It Loud! Water ; EMI, 2005. CD.

Harris, Eddie, Cedar Walton, Ron Carter, Billy Higgins, and Bobby Thomas. The Tender Storm. Atlantic, 1967. CD.

Harris, Eddie. The Electrifying Eddie Harris; Plug Me in. Rhino, 1993. CD.

Harris, Eddie. Is It In. Atlantic, 1973. CD. Harris, Eddie, , Melvin Jackson, Richard Smith, and . High Voltage. Atlantic, 1969. CD.

Harris, Eddie, Joseph Diorio, William Yancy, , and . . Vee-Jay, 1961. CD.

Harris, Eddie, Ronald Muldrow, , Billy James, and Henry Gibson. Instant Death. Atlantic, 1972. CD.

Harris, Eddie. . Atlantic, 1969. CD.

Redman, Joshua, Sam Yahel, and Brian Blade. Elastic. Warner Bros., 2002. CD.

Smith, Lonnie, and . Finger-lickin' Good. Columbia, 1967. CD.

Stitt, Sonny, Don Patterson, Bill Butler, and Billy James. Soul Electricity. Prestige, 1968. CD.

Stitt, Sonny. I Keep Comin' Back: Sonny Stitt on the Varitone. Roulette, 1966. CD.

Stitt, Sonny, , Walter Davis, , , and . The Last Stitt Sessions Vol. 1 & 2. Muse, 1984. CD.

Stitt, Sonny, , , and Jack McDuff. Night Letter. Prestige, 1969. CD.

Stitt, Sonny. Parallel-A-Stitt Sonny Stitt On The Varitone. Roulette, 1967. CD.

Stitt, Sonny. Sonny Stitt: Tune Up! , 1972. CD.

Stitt, Sonny. What's New!!! Sonny Stitt Plays The Varitone. Roulette, 1968. CD.

Terry, Clark, Don Friedman, Dave Bailey, and George Duvivier. It's What's Happenin' The Varitone Sound of . Impulse!, 1967. CD. Listen Here Eddie Harris Transcribed by M. Benson C 7 8va 2x F 7 C 7

Tenor Sax. 4 & b 4 . Œ Ó Œ. j œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ F 7 C 7 F 7 C 7 F 7 4

& b Œ. j œ œ Œ Ó Œ. j œ œ Œ Ó. œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ Solo 9 œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œbœ œ œ œ œ & b ‰ ‰. R Ó ‰ J

13 r œ œ # œ b bœ œ œ ˙ Œ. œ bœ nœ ‰ œ œ œ œ ! & œ J J

17 œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ j œ œ ‰ œ œ # œ œ n œ b œ b ‰ J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ & J

21 r # œ œ b bœ Œ ‰ œ œ œ Ó ‰ œ œ Ó ‰ œ œ œ œ Œ Œ œ œ & J

25 r # œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ & b œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ Ó œ œ œ ‰ J (œ) œ œ

29 œ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ ‰ (bœ œ & b œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ) œ œ 2 Listen Here

33 œ^ !œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ & b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ (œ)

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41 r bœ œ œ œ bœ bœ œ œ œ # œ œ n œ œ b œ œ & b œ ‰ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ (œ) œ œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ

45 r # œ œ ˙ œ bœ œ~œ bœ >œ œ œ b œ & b œ J œ œ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ

49 r œ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ & b œ ‰ ‰ J œ ‰ J (œ) œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Add Octamatic Varitone 53 r T œ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ & b œ ‰ œ (œ) œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

57 ~ r ~ œ œ œ œ ~ œ œ œ ~ œ œ œbœ œ œ bœ œ œ ~ œbœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ & b ‰ 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ 'scream' 61 œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ T y œ œ ( ) bœ œ œ œ œ œbœ œ œ & b œ ‰ J œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Funkorama Solo Sax Intro Eddie Harris

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Tenor Sax. œ œ œ œ œ b 4 Œ ‰ j j ‰ Œ ‰ j & 4 œ #œ œ œ #œ j 4 œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ b j‰ Œ Œ ‰ j j‰ Œ Ó ‰ j j‰Œ ‰ Œ ‰ j & œ œ #œ œ œ #œ œ œ #œ

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16 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œœœœœ œ œœœœœœœ b j‰Œ‰ Œ ‰ j œœ œ ‰Œ ‰ j œœ & œ œ #œ œ œ J œ #œ œ œ add bass 21 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œœ œ œ œ œ b œ ‰ j ‰ œ Œ ‰ j Œ Ó ‰.R J ‰‰ & œ œ œ #œ œ( ) œ #œ œ

27 œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ J œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ J & b " ‰ ‰ J Œ Ó ‰ J Œ J

33 œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & b " ‰ Œ ‰ J ! J Œ

38 œ œ. œ œ œ. œ J J œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ J J œ & b ‰ ! Œ ‰ ! Bye Bye Black Bird Sonny Stitt's Solo D maj7 on Varitone 3:54 # 4 œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ & # 4 œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ˙ Ó.

D maj7 F ø7 B 7 Em7 A 7 5 # # œ œ œ œ œ j œ#œ œ œ œ & # œ œbœ œ œ œ jœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ#œ œ#œ œ œ Em7 B 7 Em7 9 œ # œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ & # J Œ. œ #œ œ œ œ œnœ œ œ œ j œ œ#œ œ J œ 3 œ œ #œ. œ Em7 A 7 D maj7 13 # œ œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ j œ ˙ ! & œ œ œ #œ œ J

D 7 C 7 C 7 B7b9 17 # œ bœ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ nœ bœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ nœ œ #œ œ œ œ & # nœ œ œ œ œ œ nœ

Em7 B 7 A 7 21 b bœ # œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ # œnœ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ bœ J Ó & 3 œ œ œ œ

D maj7 F ø7 B 7 25 # œ œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ # 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ & œ œ œ œ#œ œ Em7 A 7 D maj7 Em7 A 7 29 # ˙ j œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ ˙ œ œ & # Œ. œ œ œ Ó Œ Out of Nowhere Sonny Stitt Solo Transcibed by M. Benson A maj7 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Tenor Sax. 4 œ bœ œ bœ œ #œ œ #œ œ #œ & 4 Œ œ œ œ œ #œ Œ Œ. J

C m7 F 7 A maj7 5 œ œbœ œ œ œ bœ œ ‰ #œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ & Œ 3

C m7 F 7b9 B m7 F 7 9 # # # #œ œ. #œ~~~œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ #œ # œ œ #œ #œ œ#œ œ J #œ #œ & Œ 3 Œ Ó

B m7 F7#11 13 œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œbœ œ #œ œœ œ j #œ #œ œœbœœbœœ bœ & ‰#œ ˙ Œ bœœ Œ Ó

B m7 E7 A maj7 17 ~œ œ œ œ ~~ #œ #œ #œ. œ #œ#œ œ œ œ #œ œ ~ œ œ & ‰ œ#œ œ Œ. J J ‰ J C m7 F 7 A maj7 21 bœ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ bœ œ œ. œœœ Nœ #œ œ œ#œ#œ & 3 Ó Ó

C#m7 F#7b9 B m7 F#7 25 œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ. #œ. #œ œ #œ œ #œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ Œ Œ Ó & J J 3

B m7 D m7 C m7 F 7 B m7 E7 29 # # œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ nœ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ œnœ ‰ Œ œ œbœ & 3 3 3 J #œ 2 Out of Nowhere A maj7 B m7 E7 A maj7 33 œ œ #œ œ Œ Ó. #œ œo œ #œo œ œo œ Œ #œ œ œ œ ‰ j & œ œ#œ œ 3 3 œ

C m7 F 7 A maj7 37 3 œ œ bœ œ œ. œ bœ œœœœ œ J #œœ#œœ œ œ œ 3 3 Œ Œ. œœ œ #œœ#œœ Œ & œ 3 #œœ#œœœœ #œ C m7 F 7b9 B m7 F 7 41 # # # #œ œ #œ œ œ œ #œ #œ œ œ #œ œ#œ ‰ J œ#œ œ Œ ‰ œ œ œ Œ Ó œ œ#œ œ œ & 3 #œ

F 7 B m7 C m7 45 œ #œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œœœœœ œœœ#œ #œ J #œ œ œbœ œ œ œ œbœ œ œ & #œ œ œ J Œ ‰ œ 3 Œ

B m7 E7 A maj7 49 œ #œ œ œ ˙ œ œ #œ #œ œ œ œ j & ‰ #œ œ #œ #œ Œ ˙ Œ. œ C m7 F 7 A maj7 53 œbœ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ œ Nœ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ #œ & œ œ œ œ #œ œ Œ ‰ #œ

C m7 F 7b9 B m7 F 7 57 # # # œ œ œ #œ œ#œ nœ œ œ œ #œ œ œ#œ œ œ#œ œ œ œ œ & #œ œ œ œ#œ#œ Œ ‰#œ œ œ œ

B m7 D m7 C m7 F 7 B m7 E7 61 # # ˙ #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ #œ #œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ #œ œ Œ œ œ Œ & J 3

A maj7 B m7 E7 A maj7 65 #œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ #œ œ œ Œ Ó & œ œ œ œ